Fulfilling the Prophecy
by Autobot-Ratchet
Summary: "I think I'll name him…Optimus. Optimus Prime." Vorns ago, a prophecy was foretold. Now the Chosen One has been found, and will deliver their people from the slavery and corruption on Cybertron to a land full of promise. Mix of G1/Movie/Prime continuities - in other words, AU. Slavery and violence.
1. The Arrival

**A/N: This story is the lengthened version of my one-shot "Deliver Us." Read that before you read this - it will make more sense. I own a signed copy of a Transformer comic book and an Optimus Prime toy; I do not own the Transformers. :(**

* * *

Solus Prime was sitting at her forge when a sudden pain in her chest made her keen as she hunched over in pain. Luckily she was alone; otherwise, someone would have surely heard her. No one could help her, though; her sparkmate Sentinel Prime made sure that everyone knew she was his. No one could touch her without fear of death. Her vents whirled in stress and she commed a medic that she knew she could count on.

Ratchet was at the medical center in Iacon when she commed him. :_What is it, Prime?_:

:_I'm in spark labor, Ratchet. It's urgent. I know they're coming._:

The medic dropped a wrench on his foot at the message. :_I'll be there immediately._: He picked up the wrench and walked out of the medical center. He ran through the streets, ignoring the exhausted slaves carrying various building materials and the dead Cybertronians in the street. He sighed as he thought of them. The heat from the twin suns beat down upon his metal, scorching him, yet he didn't waver. He quickly reached the alleyway where Solus had agreed to meet him. He saw her hunched form and immediately scanned her for any injuries. Her body had already begun the spark separation process: good.

"Solus," the medic whispered.

The femme looked into Ratchet's optics with pain. "Hello," she said as he squatted beside her. "Oh Primus, this hurts..."

"I know it does," he soothed as he opened her carrying hold. "The good news is that it's almost over."

"Already?" she asked, a delicate optic ridge raised.

Ratchet smiled. "They're feisty little mechs," he said. "I can tell they're going to be a servo-full." She grimaced and fought back a groan of pain as the tiny sparks separated from her own only to fall in their first delicate frames. The medic rubbed her back to soothe her. "The worst is over, Prime. Here, let me take them out for you."

He gently took out the first and handed the large mech to her. The second, smaller mech cooed at him and he gazed at him in surprise. In that dark alley, hardly a place to deliver a sparkling, the brightest light shone upon them. "Primus," Ratchet said, hushed in reverence. His thumb unconsciously rubbed the sign of the Primes on his cheek. The medic turned to Solus. "Do you know what this means?"

"Yes," Solus said with a resigned sigh. "He's the Chosen One, marked by Primus himself to deliver us from these dark days of Cybertron." She reached out for the small being and Ratchet handed him to her. "He has a long, violent life ahead of him, Ratchet. I pray he can make it. I think I'll name him...Optimus. Optimus Prime."

* * *

Solus had already given Ultra Magnus to Ironhide, whom she knew could protect the mech, after reformatting him into a femme. Solus looked at the tiny mech in her arms and sighed. "Optimus, you know how much I love you," she said. Her optics filled with coolant as she wrapped him in a blanket and set him in a small basket that she had found in one of the palace gardens. She placed the lid on the basket and set it in her carrying hold, closing the door. She sighed and walked out the door with a cool smile to one of the palace guards in an attempt to look normal. He returned the smile as he kicked a slave beside him. She sighed and turned forward as she passed the construction site, where hundreds of slaves and working-class Cybertronians worked to build a temple to Primus. The overseers' words carried over the light breeze: "Faster! Lift up!"

She stole away to the river, where she removed the basket from her carrying hold. "I pray we'll meet again, Optimus," she said to him with a small smile. "I love you so much, dear..." The sparkling raised his tiny arms in a stretch and yawned, turning over in the cocoon of a basket. "I'll be with you, always, when you dream." She placed the basket in the river after replacing the lid and gave it a gentle push, allowing the buoyant waves of metal to carry the young Prime to a new life. Solus waited there until she could no longer see the basket, and walked away towards the palace.

Meanwhile, Ratchet's overseer had him working as a medic at the construction site. The mech sighed as he patched up Ironhide, who had melted several of the components in his arm when molten metal spilled over him, and glanced upwards at the scene across from him. The only thing shielding him from the searing heat of the twin suns burning down upon the face of the metal planet was the thin layer of cloth making up the tent. Coolant drenched the backs of the lower, working class and slaves as they lifted building materials. Overseers stood nearby with readied whips at their sides, watching with squinted optics for the tiniest sign of sluggishness or failure. The unlucky Cybertronians who met the criteria were rewarded with several blows of the whip. Between the heat and the effort and the punishments, it was no wonder many had been off-lined from the conditions. As a medic, Ratchet tended to those who had fallen unconscious. He had lost count by now. Behind him lay a pile of offline Cybertronians in a shallow grave.

Needless to say, most of the Cybertronians working in these conditions had given up all hope.

Ratchet knew better.

An orn ago, a temple guardian foretold the birth of a mech strong enough to overturn the slavery forced upon the Cybertronian people. The guardian said that soon Sentinel would be dead, killed. As a result, the Prime ordered all mech sparklings born in the next orn killed upon birth. Ratchet shook his bowed helm in sadness as he remembered this. Sentinel was the one to order that, but in the end, it was Ratchet who had to deal with all of those poor carriers and their families. He couldn't remember how many sobbing carriers and sires he held in his arms as their sparklings, sometimes their only sparklings, were killed before their very eyes. There was one poor youngling femme who asked the medic why the murder had been committed. Ratchet couldn't answer her. A lump appeared as he remembered her puzzled, dejected expression.

It would haunt him for the rest of his life.

After his overseer let him off work, the mech found himself by the river, magnetized to the riverbanks. He was drawn in somehow, like he was meant to be there as he walked towards Iacon. He paused as his sensors picked up a small life signal against the riverbank. A feeble cry attracted his attention and his medic programming kicked in, causing him to pick up the small basket. The medic peered inside only to see a tiny sparkling with the symbol of the Primes on his cheek. "Solus, you've outdone yourself this time," the medic murmured. "What were you thinking?" The little mech cooed at the sound of the voice. "I can't blame her, but still...you're so young, little Optimus. You'll truly be great someday. She chose the right name for you."

Ratchet replaced the lid of the basket and walked at a brisk pace towards his quarters. He had made his decision. He would take care of the young Prime until he reached adulthood. Now he just had to find a way to keep the mech quiet and out of trouble. He never noticed the Prime's older brother Megatron hiding in the bushes around the riverbank. The young mech, who had heard of the prophecy, hoped that his brother would save them.

Ratchet reached his home and set the basket with the babe on the table. He then drew all of the shades in front of the windows and plucked the sparkling from the basket. Optimus cooed in Ratchet's arms as the medic gave him a bottle of energon and held it for him. The mech was only two solar cycles old - two human days. He was needy, hungry, and tired, yet when he was in Ratchet's arms he felt a strange sense of comfort and security. He sucked the bottle dry and turned, snuggling closer into Ratchet's chest plates. The older mech chuckled and covered Optimus with the soft blanket before stroking his cheek.

"Optimus," he said reverently, "I promise with all of my spark, I will always protect you. No matter what. I'll always be there for you."


	2. A new friend?

**I'm truly sorry about the length of time between these chapters - I hadn't completely planned out how to get from Step A to Step B and it seemed like every week something else came up in real life. As a result had a massive case of writer's block. Now I've completely planned the entire story, so hopefully updates will come in more quickly. Reviews are like energon for my muse. :3  
**

**I don't own the Transformers. :(**

* * *

_Two orns later..._

"Watchet, Watchet, Watchet!" A squeaky voice yelled as the owner skidded into the living room. "Look at what I did today!"

The red and white medic walked in from the other room with a smile on his faceplates. "And what was that, sparkling?" he asked, bracing himself as the red and navy mech latched onto his left leg. Ratchet placed a left servo on the youngling's shoulder.

"I'm not a sparkling anymore, Watchet," the young mech said with a slight pout. "I big now."

"Oh really?" Ratchet asked as he cocked an optic ridge. "And I asked you a question, youngling."

The mech puffed up with pride. "I drew a picture of you," he said, showing off a data pad to the medic. Ratchet took the pad from Optimus and cracked a grin.

"This is lovely," he praised. "Thank you."

A knock at the door sent Optimus scurrying for the back room to hide. Ratchet opened the door only to find Ironhide and Ultra Magnus. "Hello, slagger," Ironhide said, punching Ratchet in the shoulder. The medic winced.

"Hello yourself," he said as he rubbed the affected spot. He let the two inside and closed the door behind them. "Optimus, it's safe to come out." The small mech emerged from the back room shyly, left servo behind his helm. "I don't think you've met these two yet. This is Ironhide, one of my friends from the Iacon Academy, and his youngling Ultra Magnus." The two younglings looked at each other, sizing each other up. Ultra Magnus stared at Optimus for a few minutes in confusion.

"Ironhide, why does my spark feel funny?" he asked.

"Mine does too," Optimus said as he turned to Ratchet.

"There's something we've been needing to tell you two for a long while," Ironhide said. "You see, Magnus, there's a reason why your spark never felt quite right around me. I am not your real sire. Same as you, Optimus - Ratchet isn't yours either."

"I already knew about that," the young Prime said with a small frown. "It still doesn't explain why I feel like this."

"You two are brothers, spark twins," Ratchet said bluntly. "Your carrier separated you at sparking so that you two would have a fighting chance in this world of slavery and suffering. It is one of her wishes that you two meet someday." Optimus's jaw dropped a tad as he looked at the taller mech in a new light.

"So you're my brother," Ultra Magnus said with a blank face. A smile twinged at the corners of his mouth before he walked to Optimus and wrapped the shorter mech in a tight hug. Optimus could feel his spark grow larger, a warm and fuzzy sensation swirling throughout it as they hugged. He didn't want to let go of his newfound family member.

"I think they took the news rather well," Ironhide said.

"Thank Primus," Ratchet said.

The four spent the rest of the solar cycle together, relaxing, before Ironhide checked his internal chronometer after a slight shock to his systems. "Slag!" he exclaimed. "Ratchet, will you look after Magnus for me? I'm supposed to be at my shift in a click and my tracking device went off!"

"Of course," Ratchet responded, and Ironhide took off at a run towards his job. Most of the workers, including Ironhide, had been outfitted with tracking devices so that the overseers could check in on them. The devices were mis-named. They didn't track locations, just times; if a mech or femme was late to their job, they got a small shock of energy to let them know that they were late. The shocks became progressively worse the later the Cybertronian was. Luckily, Ironhide paid attention to the device constantly. He wouldn't - couldn't - afford to miss his work. Not with Ultra Magnus to protect, anyway. If something happened to Ironhide, he knew that Ratchet could pick up the slack, but Ratchet was just the medic; he couldn't protect the twins for long. His armor wasn't strong enough, and his weapons were hardly of use.

Ironhide vented. He couldn't imagine how hard it must be to be Ratchet. The medic was hardly equipped to protect, and yet Solus had chosen him of all mechs to protect her youngest son. The amount of pressure the medic had to withstand, between his job working in the field and his urge to hide and protect the future Prime, was mind-boggling. It made Ironhide glad he only had to work as a blacksmith, replacing worn tools and creating weapons from practically nothing. It was comforting, in a way. He didn't have to worry about saving lives. It was only him and the metal, working together as one.

"You're late," the overseer said, frowning.

"Only by a fourth of a click," Ironhide said. He immediately regretted it as the whip greeted his left shoulder.

"Just get to work," the overseer said. He practically growled out the sentence. Ironhide wordlessly followed orders, heating up the forge and grabbing a bar of metal off a shelf. "And quit taking so long." He struck Ironhide across the face.

"I'm sorry. But the forge takes so long to heat-" Ironhide couldn't get the rest of the words out as the overseer whipped him again.

"That was a warning. The next time you talk back, I won't be so gentle," the mech said. "Now heat that up and make a new hammer." Ironhide nodded, his dentas gritted together to avoid talking and saying something he would regret. The overseer left him to his musings.

_I've got to get out of here_, Ironhide thought to himself. It wasn't safe for him or anyone else. _When will Optimus save us all? He's only a sparkling...they both are. Only_ _sparklings. Barely out of their first frames, too. _ Air whirled through his systems as the stocky black mech vented harshly. It was times like these when he asked Primus why he of all mechs was chosen to be one of the twins' protectors. He couldn't do anything to save someone; he was too rough, too liable to talk back to people. It wasn't safe for anyone to be near him, much less the future Prime.

He stopped mid-swing of the hammer when he heard something heavy fall next to the shop a couple of breem later. Curious, he set his hammer aside and walked outside the shop. "'lp," a feminine voice said. Ironhide froze; he knew that voice. True, he had not heard it for several orns, but he recognized it as if he would his own spark. "'Elp me..."

Ironhide proceeded to pluck the delicate femme from the ground. The femme let out a small vent of air, puffing warmly onto the blacksmith's chest. "Ironhide," she said softly, placing a small servo on his chest. "Please, take me to Ratchet."

"I will," Ironhide said as he started off in the direction of Ratchet's home. Her pleading voice broke his spark. "What happened to you, anyway?"

Solus barked out a laugh. "Sentinel," she replied. "Who else?" Ironhide gritted his dentas for the second time that solar cycle. "Sparklings?"

"They're fine," Ironhide replied, ducking into a back alley as an overseer walked past them. "They just met each other earlier this solar cycle and seem to be taking to each other just fine. Ratchet and I are glad for that."

"Of course they are," Solus said with a laugh. "Twins."

Ironhide nodded sheepishly and ducked back into another alley, continuing towards the house. He ignored the leaking wounds Solus sported as they dripped energon all over the ground. Luckily, not many enforcers came this way. Otherwise the two, Ironhide especially for interacting with the female Prime, would be in a tight spot. He eventually reached Ratchet's house and pounded on the back door in the secret code the two mechs had developed.

"Hold your fire," Ratchet exclaimed from inside. "I'm coming." His voice became closer as he walked towards the door. His mouth dropped when he saw the two visitors. "Ironhide, what in Primus's name happened?" He paused. "No, wait, get inside first." The medic moved aside to allow the blacksmith and his cargo to enter the room. Ironhide closed and locked the door behind him. "Lay her on the couch."

Ironhide did as he was told.

"I was on shift when I heard her," the blacksmith explained. "I dropped everything and came as quickly as I could."

"And who-?"

"Sentinel," Ironhide said. Ratchet's face quickly grew stormy as he walked towards his newest patient. Ironhide moved out of the medic's way, understanding the expression. "She was talking earlier, but..."

Ratchet vented a large sigh. "Her energon has been leaking for far too long. I'm not sure how long she can make it." He turned to his long-time friend. "Please, make sure the sparklings are all right. I left them alone in the back room and who knows what they're thinking at the moment. For all they know, Unicron could have been out here."

"Unicron's been out here for a long time, Ratch," Ironhide said with a wan smile, but started to leave the room anyway. _Primus, for the little ones' sakes, let Solus be all right..._

He no longer needed to leave the room, however, as two small bodies appeared from the hallway. "What's going on, Ironhide?" Optimus asked. Ironhide bit back a smile; for one so small, Optimus had sure taken up the role of a leader, no-nonsense and all. "My spark started to feel all funny again."

Ratchet looked up, horrified, from his spot beside the couch at the sound of the small voice. "Get them out of here, Ironhide!"

"You heard what Ratchet said," Ironhide said, sticking his arms out on either side of the brothers and shooing them into the hall. "We need to go to the back room again. He's trying to save someone in there and needs all of the concentration he can get."

"It isn't someone we know, is it?" Magnus asked, startled. "My spark hurts!"

Ironhide vented. "Look, younglings," he said, holding a servo in either of his as they walked towards the back room. "It's a long story. You'll understand what is going on once you become our age." Ironhide looked back at Ratchet only to see the medic lifting Solus and taking her into another room, hiding her away for safekeeping. The blacksmith returned his glance towards Optimus. "Come, now. I'll see if I have something that will make you feel better."

The three hid in the back room and Ultra Magnus locked the door behind him, as was procedure in both households. Ironhide sat on the mattress laying on the floor, leaning against the left wall, and Ultra Magnus snuggled up next to his left side. Optimus snuggled up on the blacksmith's right side, curling into a tight ball. Ironhide wrapped both of his arms around the two sparklings and vented a sigh of content.

"Listen, you two," he said softly. "There will be times when our sparks hurt like Unicron himself is pounding into them. There will be times when people hurt others we care about, and it will hurt our sparks immensely. But know this." Ironhide vented a sigh.

"No matter what happens, Ratchet and I will always be there for you in some way or another. We will be there to pick you up when you need us, and to comfort you when you're scared. We will take care of you, even after we offline." Ironhide looked contentedly at the two small lives curled against his chest. "We will take care of you until all become one."

"Until all are one?" Optimus asked sleepily.

Ironhide smiled. "Yes, youngling," he said. "Until all are one."


	3. What the frag?

**I don't own the Transformers! *scurries away as Ratchet chases, holding a huge wrench and cursing at author* Reviews are love. ^.^**

* * *

A few nerve-wracking breem passed, and Ratchet finally wiped down his surgical tools with a clean cloth before retracting the scalpels into his arms. He vented a sigh and sat beside Solus. He turned his helm towards her. She was beautiful, even in unconsciousness. With the troubles of the world far away, an innocent expression graced her face. Ratchet tentatively took her servo in his own and leaned his helm against the berth. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked softly, rubbing the palm of her servo with his thumb in lazy circles. "Primus..."

She said nothing for a click or two. Finally, though, her limbs began to stir. Her helm turned to look at the medic. "Ratchet?" she asked drowsily. She frowned slightly in puzzlement. "What is-? Where am-?"

"You were injured," Ratchet said. "Ironhide found you and took you here so I could fix you up." He paused a moment. "How do you feel? Do you have any pain?"

Solus shook her helm. "No," she replied. "Thank you for asking, though."

"It's my job," the medic said sheepishly, shrugging off the comment.

"Still, though," the Prime said. "I owe you several times now." She leaned over and, arms drawing Ratchet's helm closer, pulled him into a gentle kiss. Ratchet's optics widened in surprised before he returned the gesture with vigor. His CPU was screaming at him that this was wrong, that he could be offlined for this behavior towards the Prime. However, his spark wanted him to continue, and he had no intentions of disobeying.

The click of a door opening made the two spring apart, Ratchet's optics wide. Ironhide stood stock-straight in the middle of the doorway, mouth parted slightly and optics wide. "What in Primus's...?"

The blacksmith found that he couldn't finish the question, leaving it trailing off. It still had the desired effect, though.

"Uh, nothing, Ironhide," Ratchet said quickly, flustered. "I'll explain later. Right, Solus?" He looked towards the Prime, who had effectively covered herself with a sheet in her surprise. It didn't matter anyway, though; Cybertronians didn't have need for clothing, as their armor covered their most vital and private systems.

Ironhide vented a sigh. "I don't know what's going on here, but it sure doesn't look like nothing," he said. "And don't medics take some sort of oath to not interface, of all things, with their patients?"

Ratchet said nothing, confirming the blacksmith's suspicions. "I'm not going to say a word," Ironhide said, "but you better be careful. Optimus and Magnus are some of the most curious sparklings I've seen in a while." He paused. "Oh, and that reminds me. I think Optimus caught some sort of virus somehow. He's been purging his tanks for the past click or so. I've been trying to keep Magnus away, but you know how twins are..."

"Uh, right," Ratchet said, jumping to his pedes. "Solus, I should go ahead and take care of him. Just rest for now, all right?"

The Prime nodded, and Ratchet left the room after trailing a servo along Solus's delicate jawline. Ironhide closed the door behind the medic and turned to glare at him. "What in Primus's name are you thinking?" he hissed.

"About what?" Ratchet asked. His systems began their defensive protocol and he could feel battle subroutines powering up. He fought the subconscious command for his scalpel to emerge from its sheath.

"Kissing the former Prime," Ironhide replied. "You must be out of your processor. That sort of thing can get you killed here, Ratch."

"So can abandoning your post to basically kidnap the former Prime and taking her to a mech medic so she can get care for the wounds that the current Prime gave her," Ratchet said bluntly. Ironhide winced.

"Good point," he said. "Look, all I'm saying is that you could be offlined for this sort of thing. You don't plan on starting a relationship with her, do you?" The blacksmith looked at Ratchet with critical optics. The medic vented a sigh and said nothing in return. Ironhide's jaw dropped slightly. "You do plan to start a relationship with her. Ratch...mech...you really must be out of your processors."

"Can we just see Optimus?" Ratchet snapped right before opening the door. His face dropped its peevish expression in favor of its more mellow counterpart. He walked towards the small mech laying on the mattress and squatted beside him, resting a servo on the sparkling's shoulder. "Ironhide told me you weren't feeling well. What's the matter?" Ironhide's jaw dropped; he didn't know that Ratchet could be that gentle with anybody, really.

"My tanks don't feel good," Optimus said weakly, and purged on the bed again. Ratchet rubbed the sparkling's back to comfort him. "Ratchy, what's going on?"

"You're sick, sparklet," Ratchet said, reverting to the language he had used when Optimus was a newspark. "We'll take care of you, though. I promise."

"Okay," Optimus said, closing his optics and curling in to spoon his caregiver. Ironhide, used to taking care of younglings, cleaned up the spilled energon on the mattress without so much as a word of discomfort. His forehelm felt feverish and clammy as Ratchet held the sparkling's head to his shoulder. The medic scanned the sparkling for any signs of infection and stiffened in surprise at what he found.

_:What's wrong this time?: _Ironhide asked through the com-link, watching his friend's reaction.

_:The virus is a very rare one.: _Ratchet said, looking down at his adopted sparkling. _:I haven't seen it for vorns, yet...: _Ratchet vented a sigh. _:Yet Optimus contracted it. This isn't good, Ironhide. I need to keep a close optic on him.:_

_:Is there anything I can do?:_ Ironhide asked.

_:Help me out here?:_ the medic ventured to ask. _:I have shifts that I need to go on and I can't possibly expect Magnus to watch Optimus all of the time, so could you watch him some when you get off-shift?:_

_:You got it, buddy.: _Ironhide said with a smile. He looked down when Magnus rubbed his servos against the blacksmith's leg plating. "What is it, Ultra Magnus?"

"Up," he said, raising his arms up in the universal "pick-me-up" gesture. Ironhide heaved the sparkling in the air and drew him close to his spark. The small mech stuck his thumb in his mouth and blinked up at his caregiver, sleepy.

"Optimus, I'm going to do something to help your tanks, but it isn't going to be pleasant," Ratchet told the small mech.

The young Prime nodded. "All right, Watchet," he said, voice small. Ratchet plugged into the port at the back of the Prime's helm and began to shift through all of the data streaming through Optimus's processors. A questioning ping from the young mech was quickly comforted by an answering ping from Ratchet. He started to erase all of the offending data from the virus; however, it was easier said than done. The virus clung to Optimus's core coding like a barnacle to a ship. Suddenly Ratchet jerked out of Optimus's systems, grabbing his helm and gasping in pain.

"Are you okay?" Ironhide asked, diving to Ratchet immediately. "What happened?"

"The virus is clinging to his core coding," the medic said, "and it doesn't want to let go without a fight."

"Please be careful," Ironhide said with a wince.

"I'm fine," Ratchet said. "I've seen worse. Trust me on that."

"I'm sure you have," Ironhide replied softly, remembering. Some time ago, before the slavery even began, Ratchet had worked in free clinics to help all sorts of Cybertronians with all sorts of ailments. From gladiators to noble mechs, he really had seen it all. It was one of the things that had shaped the medic into the mech he was today. "Where do you think he could have caught the virus?"

Ratchet shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Slagged if I know," he said. "With the patients I see on a daily basis, you never know." He paused. "The important thing is that we get Optimus up to speed. I knew I should have upgraded his defenses solar cycles ago."

"Will it hurt?" Optimus asked.

"No, youngling," Ratchet said. "It's just like going into recharge for a few clicks. It's programming passed down from a caretaker to a sparkling, but a medic has to oversee it. Since I am a medic, I can go ahead and give you the programming now."

_:Are you sure that's safe?: _Ironhide asked. _:He could give you the virus if you stay in his systems too long.:_

Ratchet briefly gave his friend a dirty look before he smoothed it into a blank expression. _:Who is the medic here, Ironhide?:_

Ironhide had the grace to be sheepish.

_:Just make sure that nothing happens to us. I'll be in stasis for a fourth of a click.:_ The medic looked down at Optimus and retracted a cable he never thought he would use: one for his sparkling. Normally Cybertronians wouldn't be able to use it on others' sparklings, but since Ratchet had taken care of the young Prime for such a length of time, he was able to do so. Once again, Optimus looked up at Ratchet in confusion, but the medic sent a pulse of love and comfort through the cable and the feverish sparkling relaxed slightly. Then Ratchet gave the signal for Optimus to fall into a deep recharge right before the medic himself slumped over, succumbing to stasis as his more paternal instincts began to send valuable code to the sparkling.

He awoke to a dark ceiling and glowing blue eyes above him. "Wha-?" he asked drowsily, stretching his limbs.

"You scared the living slag out of me, Ratch," a familiar voice said. "I thought you had offlined!"

"What do you mean?" Ratchet asked. His voice slurred together as if he had a little too much high-grade to drink. "I'm fine."

"You didn't move for the longest time," Ironhide said. "It's been a breem since you finished the defense upgrade. You said it would only take a click."

Ratchet vented a sigh. "I'm a bit rusty, it would seem." This made his friend laugh, more out of relief than of pure joy. "Good news is that he's all up to code, however. Hopefully that newest data burst will keep him from getting another virus. Maybe it'll get rid of the current one as well."

"I wouldn't put my hopes on that just yet. He's still purging his tanks every two clicks or so."

"Great." The medic rolled his optics. "That's just what we need."

"At least he's still online," Ironhide said, making Ratchet vent a sigh. "That's all we can ask for."

"Guess s-" Ratchet's optics widened as a wave of nausea traveled through his tanks. "Oh great. I think I caught it from him." The medic purged his tanks with a nervous Ironhide onlooking. Ratchet wiped the side of his mouth with the back of his servo. "This has to be some virus if it got past all of my firewalls and medic shields." Ironhide said nothing in response - what could he say?

Finally he found his voice. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"I don't think so," Ratchet replied. He looked around the room. "Where is Optimus, anyway?"

"In the wash racks," the blacksmith said. "I had him take a shower so he could get rid of the purged energon. You should go and take one too."

Ratchet looked at his friend with a patented Ratchet look of annoyance. "You would make a very good medical assistant. I can even paint a little uniform on your armor for you."

"Oh, shut up, you old slagger."


	4. Death of a Prime

**A/N: I just realized that I never explained the G1/Movieverse/Prime continuity differences. Basically there are G1 characters with Movieverse type bodies – aka, no blocky designs. All minus Ironhide currently have their G1 colorings, although Ratchet's chevron is red. Ironhide has his Movieverse design. When Optimus becomes an adult, he'll look like Prime Optimus****,**** although with blue flames everywhere but his helm. Once they reach Earth, they officially enter the Prime continuity and gain all Prime appearances (minus Ironhide, who stays in Movieverse form). Anyway, hope that clears things up! I don't own the Transformer series. Reviews are definitely appreciated.**

* * *

20 solar cycles later, both Optimus and Ratchet had begun to feel worse. Both had stopped purging their tanks; however, slightly shaky limbs and extreme fatigue had begun to occur. Ratchet's overseer had left him for dead roughly 10 solar cycles ago, leaving the medic free to take care of Optimus without worry of missing his shifts. Ratchet continued to see Solus in private. This click was one such moment. Though the medic was sick, he was no longer contagious and was determined to spend at least some time with the former Prime. He sat on a bench in a small crystal garden set away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Iaconian life.

"Hello," a melodic voice said from beside him. Ratchet turned towards the voice and burst into a smile. "Are you happy to see me?"

"Of course," Ratchet said as he reached out a servo to guide the Prime towards the bench. She accepted it and sat close to him. He could feel the air from her vents gently flow onto his right shoulder. "How are you this evening?" The medic wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. She gently tucked the top of her helm in the slight curve where his neck met his shoulder.

"Just fine," she said. "It's good to get away from everything. We're lucky to have found this place, with the miners taking even more of the energon crystals every solar cycle. And how are you? You seem a bit...shaky, to say the least."

"I'll be all right. Just a little bit stressed over the twins is all. They're okay, don't worry, but with Optimus sick..." He vented a sigh. "I guess it's just a medic's intuition to try and fix everybody they can, and only time can heal him. I did all that I could."

"And that's all I ask of you," Solus said. She squeezed his servo with her own. "You're doing a wonderful job raising him. Thank you."

"It's nothing, really," Ratchet said.

"That's a load of slag and you know it," she said. Ratchet shuttered his optics and opened them again in surprise at the curse. "I'm raising Megatron. If he and Optimus share the same sire, then they're both equally rebellious. I can guarantee that."

"I...suppose so," Ratchet said, hesitating. He vented a sigh, but stopped midway. His optics widened. "Did you hear that?"

Solus bolted up from the medic's shoulder, and he fought the urge to whimper at the loss of comforting heat. "Hear what?" she asked. She looked around, cautious, at the glowing blue crystals. They lit the area and plunged certain spots into darkness, casting shadows. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary, Ratchet. Your processors must be playing tricks on you."

Ratchet's spark was doing flips in its chamber now; whether from fear or the virus, he didn't know. To be safe, he scanned both himself and the area for any sign of infection or unnatural heat signatures at the same time. The readings from his own body came out normal. The readings on his surroundings, however, did not. "Solus?" he asked, voice at a whisper.

"What?" She whispered as well, catching the panicked look in his optics.

"We're not alone," he said.

"What?" she asked, voice crackling into static. "Well then who-?"

"There are two," he said quietly, "one small, probably a youngling, and another older-" He stopped talking as a large shadow appeared, looming, from behind an energon crystal. The medic followed the darkness upwards and his worst fears were confirmed; he had just met Sentinel Prime.

"What," the male Prime asked, "in Primus's name, are you doing with my sparkmate?"

Ratchet tried to not gulp at the anger in the deep voice and harsh blue optics. "N-Nothing," he said.

The Prime took a step closer to the two sitting on the bench. "That's a load of slag," he said. "And the thing I hate more than anything is a liar. Tell me the truth and maybe I'll let you live."

"He wasn't doing anything, Sentinel," Solus said, jumping to her pedes. "He's telling the-"

"I didn't ask for you to speak," Sentinel said, and took a step towards his sparkmate. Ratchet jumped to his pedes as well and attempted to get between the two Primes. Sentinel pushed him aside a moment later. "Get out of my way, medic. This is between me and my sparkmate. Who is this 'Optimus' of which you speak?"

Ratchet finally found his voice. "No one important," he said. His voice was surprisingly strong for someone feeling like they were about to wet their tanks out of fear. The medic cocked his head to the side. "Why are you here?"

"I don't have to answer your questions," Sentinel said. "As I said before, this is between me and Solus. If you get in the way again, things _will_ get ugly. That's a promise. And I don't think that you want to leave your precious 'Optimus' to face a horrible offlining, do you?"

That was definitely not the right thing to say in front of a defensive carrier. Solus, shaking with rage, stepped into her sparkmate's space and poked his armor on the right side of his spark chamber housing. "How dare you! Just...how dare you?" She spit the words out as if they had personally offended her.

"So he is important to you..." Sentinel said, tapping the side of his chin thoughtfully. He turned to Ratchet. "And you are his sire?"

"Yes," Ratchet said. His optics widened. "I mean no. I mean-" He looked to Solus for help.

"He's yours," Solus said to her sparkmate, "though there's no way I would let him end up like you." Sentinel's optics narrowed and Solus stepped back a bit as he advanced in her direction.

"You would be wise to not say that again," he said. "When was he born?"

"Almost three orns ago," Solus said, backing up more. Ratchet watched the unfolding scene warily.

"So you went against my orders and let him live," Sentinel said. A demented smirk appeared on his face as he turned to Ratchet. "Actually, I would bet that your medic went against my orders. They were the ones to kill all of the sparklings, you know. Or did he not tell you?"

"I know all about your little game," Solus said, "letting others kill precious sparklings for your own fun. And believe me, I want no part of it. I should have never become sparkmates with you."

"Oh really?" Sentinel said, stepping forward. Solus stepped back again, but bumped into an energon crystal. She was trapped on all sides. "Well, I should have never bonded with you either. You're a weakling for a Prime." He stepped to the right, now beginning to half-circle her. Ratchet's spark was about to beat out of its housing as he tried to come up with a plan to help her escape. "I bet that Optimus is a Prime as well." The male Prime chuckled. "After I kill y-"

Sentinel's optics widened as Ratchet pushed him bodily aside. One of the advantages of being a medic was that they had innumerable amounts of strength for carrying patients. However, he realized his plan was faulty as the Prime went after him. The medic stood there panting and legs shaking, virus weakening him after his stunt. He fell to his knees as his legs quit on him. In a last-ditch attempt to protect himself, he transformed his arms into large scalpels as he brought them in front of his chest. The circular saw on his left arm whirred at the Prime angrily.

"Sentinel!" Solus yelled. "Don't kill him. He's innocent!"

The large mech turned. "And I suppose that you aren't," he said. The sneer returned and he stalked closer to his sparkmate, who was still backed up against the energon crystals.

"Solus," Ratchet called. "What in Primus's name are you doing?"

"Saving Optimus!" she yelled, fierce. She cried out in pain as Sentinel plunged a long-bladed sword into her chest and twisted it. Ratchet could only watch in silent horror as her energon sprayed all over the crystals; his legs felt as though they had been encrusted in cement. The large mech approached him.

"I will give you half a click to get out of here," he said, stooping into Ratchet's face. He fought the urge to cringe at Sentinel's breath. "If you're still in Iacon by that time, you'll have wished that you were never sparked. I will personally find you and hunt you down." He started to leave. "Oh, and if I happen to see this 'Optimus,' I won't hesitate to kill him. Understand?"

Ratchet nodded weakly.

Sentinel left after giving one last kick to Solus. When Ratchet was sure that the mech Prime was really gone, her scurried over to her and transformed his weapons back to arms. "Does anything hurt?" he asked her. She just barely shook her helm, though the medic could see in her optics that the injury hurt. Energon flowed thickly. Ratchet scanned her and cursed under his breath, shaking his helm. Her optics flickered as she looked at him. "Oh, Solus," he said softly, curving a servo around her face. "I am so sorry."

The femme managed to bark out a laugh. "It isn't your fault that I bonded to that son of a glitch." She vented a sigh. "I knew this would happen sooner or later, Ratchet. You heard Sentinel; you need to get out of here before he comes back. Please...Just take care of Optimus and Magnus. I'll join the Well of All Sparks soon, and they need someone to look up to. I can't imagine anyone more suited for the job than you."

Ratchet cringed. "I'm just a medic," he said, "and ornery at that. Even Chromia would be better than me, I think."

Solus laughed. "I picked you, Ratchet," she said as she cupped the back of his neck. "They need you. I didn't pick anyone besides you and Ironhide because...well..." She vented a sigh. "I love you, Ratchet." She placed a soft kiss on his mouth just before falling back, her frame graying in death. Her servo trailed gently across his neck before it fell to the ground beside her. A lump welled in Ratchet's throat. He kissed her forehead before standing and walking away slowly. He never noticed a youngling Megatron watching from the shadows, helm bowed in sadness.


	5. Flight to Kaon

**A/N: So sorry I haven't responded to everybody! FFN stopped emailing me alerts so I missed seven reviews and who knows how many favorites/story alerts/author alerts etc. I don't know who alerted me, but thank you from the bottom of my heart! I literally squealed at 1 AM when I happened to look at the review section of the story. You're all so wonderful. Just for future reference, though - apparently if your email account marks FF as spam one time, FF will completely stop emailing you alerts. **

**I don't own the names Dingbat and Skyguy - they're a reference to a Prime episode where Agent Fowler suggests them to Optimus during a rant. I can't for the life of me remember which episode it is, though. I don't own the Transformers. :(  
**

* * *

"We need to leave, now," Ratchet said to Ironhide as soon as he entered the house. The black mech looked up from his position on the couch.

"What happened this time?" he asked, languid. Optimus and Magnus lay asleep on either side of the blacksmith, curled in small balls. If Ratchet hadn't been in such a hurry, he would have taken some mental pictures of the three.

"Sentinel," Ratchet replied. Ironhide jolted at this. "He found me and Solus. She's offline now. We have to go."

"I told you this would happen," the black mech said with a sigh as he rose from the couch. "I'll pack everything. You get the sparklings ready." Ratchet did as he was told, grateful that someone else was taking the burden of leadership for him. His processors had been whirling the whole night cycle since the murder. He needed a break from everything. As he looked at the two sleeping mechs, a bubble of protectiveness rose over him. He knew that he would defend them with his last dying breath. Solus was right: they needed him. Ironhide took the sleeping Magnus and placed him in his sparkling hold. "Thank goodness they can still fit. Just like old times, eh?"

"I suppose so," Ratchet said as he placed the small Prime in his own hold. The extra weight beside his spark comforted him. "Let's go."

Ironhide was out the door a moment later and Ratchet took one last look at the dwelling he had called home for the past few vorn before shutting the door to it forever. They stole anxious glances as they entered the metal street. :_Stay in bipedal mode_: Ironhide commed to the medic. :_The noise from our alt modes will attract unnecessary attention._: Ratchet nodded to show that he understood. Luckily, Cybertron's twin moons shined a bright blue, and Ironhide picked up the gesture. The two mechs could see everything, from every pothole in the street to the buildings around them.

_:Where are we going?_: Ratchet asked.

_:Kaon.:_ Ironhide replied. The medic winced; Kaon wasn't the best place to live, as it contained most of the gladiator pits and the riffraff of Cybertron. However, he knew that it was far enough away from Iacon that Sentinel wouldn't bother them. They couldn't visit Vos. Seekers had their own culture, and the prejudice between the two body types was too great. Optimus would be pummeled for sure in that city. All other cities were too close to Iacon for comfort.

Ratchet was interrupted from his musings when a loud noise sounded in the quiet. He jumped closer to Ironhide and extended his medical scalpels. Ironhide couldn't extend his cannons until Ratchet removed the tracking device from his programming, and the medic couldn't afford that luxury until they had escaped from Iacon. He whirled his helm around owlishly as the two mechs traveled walking sideways, practically back-to-back. A turbofox skittered across the street, drawing their attention. Ratchet could feel his vents pumping in air overtime.

_:Ironhide?:_

_:What is it?:_

Ratchet's bravado came crashing to a halt. _:Never mind.:_ he said sheepishly, and drew his helm away from his friend. Even though he wanted to, he couldn't admit he was scared. It was one thing to be scared of being routinely offlined because he was useless. It was another to be scared of someone attacking him and what he considered to be his sparkling. With this thought in mind, he unconsciously brought his servo to the shielding outside his sparkling chamber.

_:You're worried: _Ironhide said, making Ratchet jump slightly. The blacksmith gestured to the medic's servo._ :I know that gesture. You're afraid for him.:_

Ratchet vented a sigh. _:What can I do?:_ he asked rhetorically._ :Solus entrusted them to us. She entrusted them to me, Ironhide. And...:_ He sighed again._ :And I can't let her down.:_

_:'Course you can't, you slagger.: _the black mech said._ :That's why I'm with you. We can protect them together.:_ He paused. _:And I'm sure that once they're old enough, they'll be able to take care of themselves. They're smart mechs, you know. Optimus seems especially protective of Magnus.:_

_:Yeah, well, that's a Prime for you.: _Ratchet said with a vented sigh._ :Most Primes, anyway. That's how they're supposed to be - strong and protective of their people.:_

_:They'll be all right.: _Ironhide said. A sly grin covered part of his face. _:Just you wait. Once they get big and strong, they'll be able to protect the both of us in addition to themselves.:_

Unfortunately, the only road to Kaon traveled outside the Iaconian palace. They couldn't climb over the wall due to their additional weight from the sparklings. In addition, the palace was lit up day and night. Ironhide gestured to Ratchet just before slipping into a shadowed alcove set in the smooth, metal palace wall. A black and white armored guard, fusion cannon on his hip, patrolled just in front of them. Ratchet felt his vents stall and prayed to Primus that neither of the sparklings would give them away by awakening.

The guard passed them.

Ratchet let out a shaky breath before following Ironhide to the next alcove. The toe of his pede caught on a piece of metal sticking upwards and he flailed for a moment before Ironhide caught him, pushing him upright again. Ratchet gave a nod of thanks as the two neatly fit into the next alcove. Ratchet activated his heat sensors to make sure that no one was near. He detected none around them, but two above him. His medic's heightened senses could hear yelling. A second, weakened voice pleaded before squeaking. Ratchet closed his optics tightly and tried to ignore the exchange. Ironhide bodily dragged him to the gates leading to Kaon.

Unfortunately, the one guard patrolling the gate happened to be awake. "Who's there?" he asked.

"Uh, Dingbat and Skyguy," Ratchet said quickly, before Ironhide could insert anything into the conversation.

"Skyguy?" the guard asked. "Neither of you are seekers."

Ironhide quickly remedied the situation before it got ugly. "My caretakers believed I would be a seeker," he said with a surprisingly nonchalant shrug for their current situation. "Even though I'm a grounder, the name still stuck."

"I'll mark you off," the guard said. "Goodbye, now."

"Bye," Ratchet said. When they were out of earshot of the guard, the medic looked at Ironhide in disbelief. "Can you believe how easy that was? Why was he being so _nice_?"

"Maybe Sentinel knew we were coming," Ironhide said.

"Still doesn't explain why he let us leave like that," Ratchet said. "Come on. I'm not dawdling around here longer than necessary. This place gives me the creeps at night." Ironhide nodded and the two switched to their alternative modes, zooming away from Iacon. They drove all night at speeds even enforcers would hesitate at, driving literally until the suns rose in the eastern horizon. The Royal Vosnian Air Patrol, the division of the Cybertronian Air Force that guarded the Prime family and the temples, started to do exercises silhouetted against the orange sky. Beneath them, the First Brigade of the Cybertronian Army had started weapons training. Cannon volleys sounded across the sky, and brilliant shows of color flashed as others practiced with plasma weapons.

_:Beautiful, isn't it?:_ Ratchet asked.

_:Oh, don't get all sappy on me.:_ Ironhide said, fighting the urge to roll his optics. _:We're almost there.:_

_:Thank Primus. I was beginning to think it would never end, and I think Optimus is starting to wake up. He's been squirming for the past few clicks or so.:_

_:Magnus too.:_ Ironhide paused for a moment. _:You see that?:_

Ratchet strained to see what his friend was talking about. _:See what?:_ he started to ask, but then saw it. The imposing form of downtown Kaon was beginning to rise against the horizon. Ratchet heaved a sigh of relief. _:Oh, thank Primus.:_ he said, practically lowering himself on his axles. _:We're almost there, finally.:_

They reached the city within a click and quickly checked in at the guard post, using the same names that Ratchet had come up with at the Iaconian checkpoint. The two stuck together as tight as they could, trying to ignore the malicious looks thrown their way from the native Kaonians. Apparently newcomers weren't very welcome. They found a hotel that would accept visitors and checked in before finally settling into a nice, well-deserved sleep. They didn't wake up for some time afterward.


	6. On the Streets

**A/N: Just so you know, this is the longest chapter I've written to-date on this story. It's two lines away from being 10 pages in Microsoft Word (!). Also, I started to tear up writing this, so you might want a tissue or two****.**** ^.^ **

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and put me on story/author alert! Especially Sounddrive, cheesybeans, and IBrokeThe4thWall (love your username, by the way), who have been with me since Day 1. The three of you have a lot of patience to have waited a little over a month between updates. And everyone responding to the story is so wonderful. It's been quite a ride to get here. Tell me your ideas, opinions, likes, dislikes, etc. about the story. I'd love to know!**

**The Transformers don't belong to me. We can all wish, though.**

* * *

5 vorns later...

Optimus looked both ways before crossing the street, Ultra Magnus at his heels. Though Optimus was the younger mech, he felt a sense of duty to protect his older brother. It had only grown as the two mechs grew. "Come on," he said to Magnus, and the taller mech scurried to walk beside him. The two kept their optics to the ground - Kaon definitely wasn't the place to look people in the optics. They had learned that a long time ago. They neatly dodged other passersby, whom glared at the mechs. Optimus fought off the twinge of irritation; Ratchet had said that it "wasn't becoming," whatever the slag that meant. He didn't even know that Ratchet cared about things like that. The medic was always gruff and to know that he was even roughly concerned about the topic of etiquette was slightly disturbing to the young Prime.

A high-pitched whistle broke him from his musings. "Hey there, sweetspark," someone exclaimed. Optimus jerked his head up. Magnus, still in his femme frame, scooted closer to his younger brother. Optimus placed a protective arm around him and turned to look at the offending bystander. Two helms taller than the Prime, his navy body curved into sharp points. His bulk took up most of the street.

"I'm sorry?" the Prime asked. His voice lowered by several octaves, ending almost in a growl. "What did you say to my sister?"

"Optimus, really," Magnus said. "It's fine. Let's just go." He squirmed a bit, shifting his weight from side to side, but Optimus ignored him and instead pulled him closer to his body.

"I was just saying hello to your sister," the stranger said. "Or is that too much to ask for?"

Magnus, in a rare fit of leadership, knew that this was the wrong thing to do. He tugged on his younger brother's servo again, trying to convince the bulkier of the two to move. Optimus refused. "No," the young Prime said. "I don't want a fight. I'm asking you to respectfully step away from my sister."

"Oh really?" the larger mech asked. He grabbed Magnus's shoulder and Optimus's instincts took over; he punched the stranger in the face, right over the nose. Energon began to leak from the wound. However, it achieved the desired effect. The larger mech let go of Magnus and the disguised mech stumbled for a few steps before walking a little bit away.

"Magnus, go get Skyguy!" Optimus said, blocking a punch to the chest. The sound of metal blowing upon metal was deafening. "I'll be all right." His older brother stood there for a minute. "Did you hear me? Go!" The Prime's distraction was at a cost, and the older mech punched him hard enough to cause a loud ringing in his helm. He vaguely saw the black and white body of an enforcer before his world began to fade to black.

* * *

When he awoke what seemed like moments later, a metal ceiling greeted him. "Primus, what happened? I feel like I got hit by 25 seekers doing target practice on my processors," he said, groaning. A chuckle sounded from his left. When he turned towards it, even more pain bloomed in his helm. It had him seeing stars.

"You pretty much did get hit by 25 seekers," Ironhide said. "I've got to hand it to you, youngling; you've got guts. You took on the Sergeant of the Kaonian Defense Squadron. Wasn't too smart, but you held your own."

"And Magnus?" Optimus asked.

"Will be fine," the blacksmith said. "He's with Dingbat trying to get you out of here."

"But I don't hear any yelling," the Prime said slowly, confused. Just then the traces of a yell floated down the corridor. "I stand corrected." He chuckled. "So why are you back here instead of up there with the other two?"

Ironhide vented an explosive sigh. "I figured that you would need some company if you woke up," he said. "Don't let Dingbat tell you I'm some sparkless slagger, because I ain't. I was sure you'd be confused, and the Pit will freeze over before I let an enforcer confuse you into thinking that you did something wrong. You didn't. You were just protecting your older sister. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Oh..." His statement faded away until he felt more than heard stomping down the corridor.

"Sir, you need to remain calm," a mech's voice floated down the hall.

"Like slag I will," Ratchet's voice said. Ironhide and Optimus gave each other a look before laughing quietly. "I'm a medic and my sparkling was just injured in a street fight. You better not keep the two of us apart, or I can make your life a living Pit."

"Was that a threat?" the enforcer asked. Optimus saw the edge of a pede before the rest of the enforcer followed, restraining an angered Ratchet with a young Mangus trotting behind the two. "I can lock you up in here for interfering with the law."

"That won't be necessary, Enforcer...Sharpster," Optimus said, tacking on the mech's name as he saw the nametag painted on the armor. "Dingbat here can be a little...touchy at times." Ratchet glared at the youngling. "Especially when it comes to me. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"There are two options for your life," the enforcer said, getting straight down to business. "We can either keep you here for two vorn under the charges of intentionally harming an officer of the Cybertronian Army, or you can enter the Iacon Academy. If you graduate, you will become a soldier and protect Iacon, but if you flunk out, you'll work in hard labor here in Kaon. Which will it be?"

"That is preposterous!" Ratchet exclaimed. "He's barely five vorn old! He isn't hardly old enough to even go away to school, much less fight in the Cybertronian Army." He looked at Optimus. "Youngling, I understand this is tough on you, but please...do the smart thing. St-"

"I want to go to Iacon," Optimus said, interrupting his caretaker. Ratchet's optics widened as he took on the appearance of a fish. Optimus took a deep breath and let it out, looking at the enforcer. "I will become an officer in the Cybertronian Army. You have my word on that."

"We all dream about that, kid," the enforcer said with a chuckle. "All right, then. I'll get the paperwork ready." He left the prison cell, letting the door slam behind him with an echoing clang. The Wrath of Ratchet descended upon his adopted youngling moments later.

"Are you out of your processors?" the medic asked, optics narrowed with fury. "You must be! You'll ruin everything, everything that Ironhide and I have worked for. We want to keep you safe, Optimus. And yet you declare that you would love to throw all of that away by practically waltzing right into the palace with a target on your back, ripe for the taking! I just don't understand!"

"Dingbat-" Ironhide began. He immediately fell silent as Ratchet whirled around to face him.

"Primus, you might as well just call me by my birth name, Ironhide, with the way that Optimus thinks of us!" the medic exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.

Magnus peeped out from behind Ratchet's leg. "If I can get a word in," the disguised mech said. Everyone turned to face him. He was quiet for a moment from the sudden attention, shy. "This was my fault in the first place. I'd...if Optimus is going, then I am as well. Twins until the end, remember?"

Optimus vented a sigh as Ratchet prepared for round two of his lecture. "Magnus," the Prime said, "I am in here because I protected you. And I am not going to let you go to the Academy with me; to do so would defeat the purpose of my protection in the first place. You need to stay here in Kaon with our creators."

Mangus sighed. "Optimus..." he said, quiet. "I'm sorry."

Optimus smiled at his older brother. "It will be all right," he said. "Somehow...someway...I feel as if I were meant to do this."

Ratchet exchanged a glance with Ironhide. "Somehow, that's what I'm afraid of," the medic said under his breath. Ironhide stood and rested a servo on Ratchet's back, right where his neck met his torso.

"Don't worry, Ratch," the blacksmith said. "It'll be all right. I help make weapons for the Academy all the time. He's in good servos."

Their conversation was cut short as the enforcer returned. Ratchet immediately fell silent, his mouth set in a tight line. "I'll just need for you to sign this," the enforcer said, handing the data pad to Ratchet. "It's paperwork to get you into the Academy. Once you sign this, you'll be free to go."

Ratchet looked at the data pad in his servo and an uneasy feeling came into his tanks. He vented a sigh. "Against my better judgment..." he murmured, signing his name on the signature line. "Here, youngling. You need to sign it as well." Optimus took the data pad from his caretaker and signed as well. He handed it back to the enforcer a moment later.

"All right, then," the enforcer said. "You may leave now. And the Iaconian Academy is looking forward to having you."

:I'm sure they are.: Ironhide said to Ratchet. A frown overtook the medic's features. :Aw, cheer up, Ratch. He'll be fine.:

"Let's go, youngling," Ratchet said, wrapping an arm around Optimus's shoulders. The misfit family left the enforcement station, returning home a moment later. Ratchet vented a sigh after Ironhide closed the door behind them. "Youngling, you have to understand something important."

Optimus furrowed his brows. "What's the matter?"

"What's the matter? What's the matter, he asks!" Ratchet exclaimed. He turned to face Optimus. "You and Magnus...you're the only things I have left of Solus. I can never, never get her back. And if anything happened to the two of you...well, I'm not sure what I would do."

"We're old enough to take care of ourselves," Optimus said. "I don't see why-"

"When you were little," Ratchet said, ignoring the Prime. "When you were barely out of your first frames, I used to be...involved with Solus, out of lack of a better word. She and I were both, well-" He sighed. Ironhide said nothing, surprised at the direction that the conversation had taken. Ratchet had never explained the depths of his relationship with the former Prime. "If she hadn't been bonded to Sentinel, it was quite possible that we could have bonded. We were that close to each other."

Optimus felt his optics widen to a unheard-of diameter. "What!"

"And one lunar cycle, she and I were in an Iaconian crystal garden," Ratchet continued, still continuing to ignore the Prime. "Apparently Sentinel followed us there. He...well, he and I had words. I barely escaped with my life. Solus didn't escape with hers. And when I saw her laying there like that...Primus, I just about lost it. I had scanned her to see if I could save her, but...I couldn't. And-" He swallowed to get rid of the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. Ironhide rested a hand on his shoulder, detecting his distress. "And I couldn't save the femme that she and I were going to have, either."

The room fell into an oppressing silence. "W-What?" Optimus finally asked, uncharacteristically quiet.

"Apparently Solus was with spark," Ratchet said, "and the energy signature matched my own. I...Primus!" He sat down on the couch, setting his helm in his servos. Optimus sat next to him and pulled him against his own body. Ratchet looked up when he gained some semblance of composure. "You have to understand that when I think about either of you younglings going back to Iacon, it scares the slag out of me. You're as much my younglings, in my optics, as you are Solus's. And to think about losing either of you..." He vented a sigh. "I just can't let that happen."

"Oh, Ratchet..." Optimus said softly. "I had no idea." He dragged the medic next to him, practically cradling him in his arms. "It's going to be okay. I'll be all right - you'll see. Everything's going to be just fine." He smiled. "I promise."


	7. Iacon Academy

**A/N: This practically wrote itself, no joke. I chose the name "Steelsaber" for Optimus because he uses a saber sword in Prime and even though Saber is the hardest sword to use in fencing, he's freaking amazing (he should be – "Optimus" means "the best" in Latin xD). Not to mention that sword is just plain cool.  
**

**If anyone is confused about their ages - Optimus, Magnus, and the rest of the students on the shuttle are around the human age of 16 or so. Megatron is about 19 or 20.  
**

**By the way, does anybody know when Prime is supposed to come off its hiatus? I heard it was supposed to be six weeks after Toxicity aired, and it's been six. Is the season over or is it just on break?**

**I don't own the Transformers. T.T**

* * *

The time had come for Optimus to leave Kaon for the Iacon Academy. Ironhide had decided to let Magnus go as well, as long as the Prime would protect him. "Do you hear that?" Magnus asked.

Optimus cocked his helm towards the right. "Hear what?"

"The shuttle. I think it's landing!"

Optimus paused to listen, and sure enough, a high-pitched whine sounded from the left. It was coming in fast. "Yes," he said. He vented a sigh as he looked towards his two caretakers. Ironhide appeared worried and...was Ratchet leaking energon from his optics? The young Prime shook his helm once to get the image out of his processors. "Well, I suppose this is it." Ratchet suppressed a soft sob. Ironhide looked at his longtime friend in concern before returning his gaze to the two younglings he had helped to raise.

"This is it," the black mech said gruffly. He bumped the medic. "Come on, Ratch. Get out of your own little world and say goodbye to the young 'uns."

Magnus embraced Ratchet first with a smile lighting up his face. "We'll miss you, Ratchet," he said. If no one knew the truth about the mech's origins, they would have guessed that he and his adopted caretakers really were related. Magnus and Ironhide's voices both drawled, but the youngling could be extremely quiet when he wanted to be, just like Ratchet.

"I as well, youngling," the medic said.

Optimus moved in to hug the blacksmith, but Ironhide pushed him slightly to an arm's-length away and pulled him into a side hug. "Check in with us, you hear?" the black mech asked with a small smirk. "I want to hear all about what weapons you're using. If they give you something stupid, I want to know." Optimus laughed.

"I'll let you know," he said. He turned to his other caregiver. "Hey, Ratchy."

The medic smiled at the old nickname given to him when could Optimus first speak. "Hello yourself," he said. He cringed in surprise as the young Prime crashed into his chest, helm curled against his spark chamber. "What's this about, now, hm?" Ratchet brought his servos around his adopted child. "What's wrong?"

Optimus muttered something unintelligible into the medic's chest plates. He then raised his helm slightly, angling it so his pointed antenna wouldn't scrape the medic, and spoke again. "I'll miss you," he said. The amount of sheer _love_ in the Prime's optics nearly brought Ratchet to tears.

"You can always comm me," Ratchet said. "I'll be here for you, always. You know that. I've said it to you several times over the vorn."

"That you have," Optimus said with a small chuckle, voice cracking. The ground shook beneath their pedes as the shuttle landed. The Prime smiled wryly. "I guess that's my ride."

"Comm me every lunar cycle," the medic said, grabbing Optimus's helm and shaking it lovingly with each word. "I want to hear from you."

Optimus nodded. "Will do," he said. And with that, the young Prime and his older brother boarded the shuttle, setting off to a new life in Iacon.

The Prime awakened to Magnus shaking his shoulder. "Wake up," the older mech said. "We're there. Look out the window."

Optimus did as he was told and a slight gasp escaped him. The tall metal spires of buildings climbed and surrounded the shuttle on every side. Light golden rays from both suns stretched forth and lit every last bit of Iacon, bouncing off the coppery buildings and reflecting onto every surface. The elite members of the Cybertronian Air Force flew all around the shuttle, protecting it as it flew into the landing zone. Optimus couldn't help but stare. "Is that the...?"

"That's the Academy," Magnus said. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Optimus nodded. No words were needed. The Iaconian Academy was second in grandeur only to the palace of the Primes. Stately, curved silver walls surrounded golden turrets spiraling to the sky. Several students walked to and fro across the campus, with several accessing the main, huge silver door. Optimus held in a breath as the shuttle landed on a landing pad just inside the confines of the walls. The shuttle's systems fell from a drone to a whine as they shut down. One by one, the newest students in the Iaconian ranks disembarked from the plane. "Goodbye," Optimus said, running a servo down the length of the door as he left.

"Goodbye, young one," the shuttle said in a booming voice. Optimus smiled and exited, waiting off to the side for Magnus to appear. An aura of excitement permeated the air from all of the other students, and it was catching. The young Prime found himself grinning more and more. Someone cleared their vents, catching the Prime's attention. "Good morning, students," a cheerful femme said. "My name is Moonracer, and I'm the Dean of Students at Iacon Academy. I trust that you all had a good flight?" Several of the students nodded. "Welcome to Iacon Academy. I'll show you to your rooms and classes. Let's get started, shall we?"

She didn't give anybody room to speak, and instead showed the group of students around the campus. Optimus tried to focus, but ended up drowning her out. A mech with black door wings and a white body turned to him. "Hello," he said. Optimus jolted a bit.

"Are you talking to me?" he asked, pointing to himself in confusion.

The other mech nodded. "My name's Prowl, and this is my brother Smokescreen." He gestured to another mech, this time blue and green. "We just came in from Praxus. And you are...?"

"Steelsaber," the Prime said. "This is my sister Ultra Magnus."

"Nice to meet ya," Smokescreen said. "Call me Smokey. Prowl's the only one who calls me by my real name. He can be a real stick in the magma." Prowl had the decency to look scandalized. However, he looked at his pedes, instead choosing to say nothing. "Let's go back to the main room in the dorm later and get an energon cube. I hear there's going to be quite a party for the newbies."

Optimus blushed slightly. "I-I don't do parties," he said shyly.

"Come on," Smokescreen said, looping an arm around Optimus's shoulder with a lazy grin. "It'll be fun. And we can meet tons of other students, too. Maybe even get to meet Megatron."

Optimus felt the coolant rushing from his head. "I'm sorry, who?"

"Megatron?" Smokescreen asked, stopping in his tracks and forcing the Prime to stop as well. His voice rose. "You don't know who Megatron is?"

That hushed many of the students, who turned to the pair with incredulous faces. Moonracer quieted them and Optimus and Smokescreen continued walking in silence for a little bit, waiting for the hullabaloo surrounding their conversation to stop. Finally Smokescreen turned again to the young Prime. "Megatron is Sentinel Prime's son. He's going to the Academy here. Word is he may become Lord High Protector by the time he graduates in two orn. It's funny, though. Sentinel and Solus - Primus keep her - never had a Prime together. I'm not sure what will happen once the current Prime dies. Honestly, I'm a bit worried."

"I'm sure that it will be all right," Optimus said. "You never know. Where are you from, anyway?"

"Prowl and I are from Praxus," Smokescreen said. The young Prime let out a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. Finally the focus was off the subject of the Prime family - he was in the clear. "And you?"

"Iacon by sparking, but I grew up in Kaon," Optimus said

"Ooh," Smokescreen said with a wince. "I bet that was hard."

Optimus nodded. "It was," he said. "I'm not here by choice - it was either stay here or stay in jail, since I ended up defending Magnus against the Sergeant of the Kaonian Defense Squadron. That was a bit of a surprise."

"You took him on and lived," Smokescreen said, cocking an optic ridge. "Slag, mech, that's some skills you got there. It's no wonder they sent you here to train. You'll fit right in."

"Hope so," Optimus muttered.

The rest of the day passed quickly for the new recruits. Optimus met many other students, including several scientists named Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Skyfire. He loved them all - especially Wheeljack, who reminded the young mech of Ratchet except slightly more explosive, in a different sense of the meaning. He quickly made a mental note to not visit the laboratories when he knew that the mech would be in class. However, one thing had been bothering him: the mech by the name of Megatron. He had heard rumors of him all solar cycle, yet he hadn't seen him. The young Prime hoped that he could see the possible Lord High Protector and lay some of the rumors to rest. They had reached exponential levels by the time that the party rolled around.

He heard the party before he saw it. Loud music blared throughout the dormitory, vibrating all sorts of objects and Cybertronians alike. The Prime almost fell down as he attempted to walk into the room. Smokescreen walked over to Prime, holding an energon cube in one servo. "Glad you can make it," he yelled over the music. "I want to introduce you to someone. He's really cool." The mech led Optimus over to a black and white mech talking with Prowl. "Jazz, this is Steelsaber. Steelsaber, this is Jazz. He was on the shuttle flight after ours."

"Nice to meet ya, Saber," the newly-dubbed Jazz said, sticking out a lazy servo for Prime to shake. He did so awkwardly. "We're going to have a real fun time at the Academy."

"I suppose so," Optimus said.

"By the way, have you met Prowler yet?"

The black and white Praxian's door wings flew up into a stiff V, indicating his annoyance. "I asked you to not call me that."

"Relax, mech," Jazz said. "It ain't anything bad. You two just seem like you would be good friends. You have the personalities for it."

"I beg your pardon," Optimus said. The plating of his armor bristled slightly, like a cat, in agitation. Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder, interrupting any other comments he could have made to the easy-going mech. Optimus turned to see Magnus there.

"Hey, Saber," Magnus started out, almost timid. "Could you come with me to the library? I want to check out a book and there are so many other mechs around..."

Optimus blinked in surprise but nodded after looking at his newly-acquired group of friends. "I'll be back in a click or so," he told them.

"Aw, but the party's just getting started!" Jazz exclaimed. Optimus shrugged in return. He and Magnus walked across the room. However, the crowd's murmuring dimmed to a hush and even the music got quieter a moment later. Optimus stopped in his tracks, confused, and Magnus continued to walk out of the room without him.

"What's going on?" the Prime asked.

A large mech the Prime recognized as Trailbreaker turned to him, energon in servo. "If I'm not mistaken, Megatron just entered the room." Optimus subconsciously brought a servo to rest just on top of his spark chamber. His spark had begun to do leaps of happiness, recognizing another potential for a sibling bond. He closed it off, albeit painfully; he couldn't afford another bond just yet. "What the frag?" Trailbreaker started to ask the Prime. "Why is he coming over here?"

Sure enough, a large gray mech had begun to trek across the room towards Optimus and Trailbreaker. "You must be new," the gray mech said, looking up and down Optimus's frame. "What is your designation, new one?"

"Steelsaber," Optimus responded.

"Well then, Steelsaber," Megatron said. Optimus grimaced at the way the name rolled off the mech's tongue. "If that really is your real designation. Why do I sense a bond with you?" Trailbreaker, still standing beside the brothers, coughed on the energon he had begun to sip. The two ignored him.

"I-I'm not sure," Optimus said, optics wide. Not only had Ratchet failed to tell him of Megatron, but he had no idea what to say to get him out of this tough spot. "Shouldn't you ask a medic? I'm just a soldier, and a new recruit at that!"

"Let's take this outside, shall we?" Megatron asked, slightly purring out the words as he wrapped an arm around the mech and began to lead him away. Optimus gave an apologetic expression to Trailbreaker for leaving the large mech. Out of the corner of his optic, he saw Jazz drop his energon cube on Prowl's pede and faintly heard the Praxian yell at him, door wings bristled and in Jazz's face. Then Optimus realized with a start that Megatron had completely led him outside the dorm. "Why are you here, Steelsaber?"

"I protected my younger sister from a pervert in Kaon," the young Prime said. "The choice was wait in jail or come here. Obviously you can tell what choice I made."

"You will not speak to me that way," Megatron said, glaring at the mech. "I am the son of two Primes, and I deserve respect."

As much as Optimus wanted to tell the mech otherwise, he bit his tongue.

"Still, though," Megatron said, "it begs the question of why I feel this in my spark when I am close to you. It's odd, really. It almost feels like we're related." Optimus shrugged hopelessly. "Tell me: what are your creators' names?"

"Dingbat and Skyguy," Optimus replied, the oft-repeated lie easily flowing from his lips. Megatron's optics widened.

"It can't be," he said, stiffening. "They've been dead for vorn. No." He began to pace as a cool sweat formed on Optimus's frame. "They don't exist. I've done the research. This empty bond I've had...you have no idea. It's driving me insane. And then you come along and...oh Primus. Oh Primus!" He laughed in exaltation, clapping his servos once before turning to Optimus. He dropped his tone, leaning close to the younger mech conspiratorially. "You. You escaped from Iacon with the mechs Ratchet and Ironhide, along with your twin. I know you. Your name is Optimus Prime."


End file.
